The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has said the Force would henceforth monitor the prosecution of suspects arrested for kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery and other crimes in the country.
This, he said was necessary to ensure the diligent trial of crime cases and make sure that the suspects were duly punished for their crimes.
Addressing a seminar for state commands’ public relations officers on Tuesday at the Force headquarters, Abuja, Idris said it was not just enough to parade crime suspects before the media and not follow through with their prosecution.
“When you arrest suspects, ensure that you follow up with the trial; People believed that when you arrest and parade them (before the media), that is the end of it, but it is important to follow up the case to the point of conviction. This is necessary to serve as a deterrence to others,” he said.
He admonished the spokespersons to communicate the achievements of the Force to the public and to counter negative narratives against the organization with facts and evidence from relevant departments.
He directed that all petitions to the police must be treated with dispatch in order to gain public trust and confidence.
The IG complained about the poor funding of the police, stating that the government needed to increase the budgetary allocation to the Force if it desired an efficient security agency.
“The police survival depended on National Assembly because they are the one passing the budget; for the police to be efficient, they must be adequately funded,” he added.
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